For Writers - "Trust Yourself" with Lucienne Diver

Please welcome Lucienne Diver to the blog! Lucienne is a long-time book addict, literary agent, writer, mom and sun-worshipper. She's the author of the popular YA series VAMPED, featuring fab protag Gina Covello, fashionista of the damned. This week, she's celebrating the release of her latest, FANGTASTIC.

The Official Book Blurb:

What do you wear to face down a cadre of killer kids?

Gina Covello would rather be working on her manicure than missions for the Feds’ paranormal unit to which she’s been recruited. That changes when a group of killer kids takes out a family in the sunshine state and disappearances begin to plague the lifestylers who only play at the kind of existence our fanged fashionista leads. She and her crew are sent undercover into the vampire clubs…which turn out to be run by real vampires. While Gina’s BFF Marcy hangs with the steampunk-styled Burgess Brigade that seems to have spawned the killer kids, Gina herself is supposed to get in good with the fanged fiends behind the scenes, even to the point of playing double-agent, offering to hand over her powerful boyfriend Bobby. Her playacting threatens to become a bit too real when she discovers things about her spy handlers that make her wonder whether she’s truly on the right side of the battle between Feds and fangs.

Kirkus calls Gina's narration "feisty and funny", VOYA says, " Diver uses wit and adventure to hook readers", and Wondrous Reads describes the series as being "like Mean Girls with fangs, with witty dialogue and more pop culture references than you can keep up with.”

You can find Lucienne online on her website and on her blog. You can even find Gina on her own blog, Gina's Gems. : )


Lucienne says:

My writing tip would be to trust yourself…but only so far.

Writer’s block, for me, is often a matter of freak-out. I fear that I can’t do something or begin to panic because I can’t see what comes next. My husband reminds me that I go through this every time, and I always get through it. Bless him. With Fangtastic, I think that lesson hit home. I would force down the panic and just sit down to write, trusting myself that something would come out, and knowing that if I had to throw it out, at least I’d learn which direction not to take the story, which should get me one step closer to the right one.

Don’t put the pressure on yourself that every word that flows from your fingertips has to be perfect and that every scene has to fit. If you do that, you’re likely not to write anything at all or to get stopped along the way. Trust yourself to get through it.

The “only so far part” is the flipside of all of this. What you’ve written won’t be perfect, no matter how hard you’ve worked at it. You’ll need to revise and refine. I heartily recommend working with a good critique group or partner, because you’ll be too close to your own work to see all its faults. You’ll know what you meant to say, so you may not be aware of what actually made it to the page or how it’s perceived by someone not living in your head. That’s why professional authors have editors, to call us on those things we can’t see for ourselves…to make us look good .

This Week's Links:

Anyone else's arms super sore from this week's (Writers' Butt) challenge? For me, pushups are much harder than squats! But that burn is good, right? If you haven't joined in yet, it's never too late - you can jump in anytime! Follow the (#WritersButt hashtag on twitter), like the page on (Facebook), and check out (Ginger's Wednesday posts) for challenges and fitness advice.

You Don't Say (Between the Margins) Capturing the unspoken on the page.

A Question You Should Ask Before You Ask What If (Story Fix) Items on a menu...

Making Good Writing Great (James Killick) Make the readers forget they're reading.

10 Signs You're Not in the Zone (It's a Mystery) : )

6 Simple Ways to Reboot Your Writing Routine (Writer's Digest) Get going!

6 Revision Tips (Jamie Gold) How to force a story to evolve.

5 Productivity Tips (Writer Unboxed) Pay attention!

2 Surefire Symptoms of a Static Character (Word Play) Informative video.

On Logos, Arrows, and Storytelling (Words and Such) Use hidden elements.

Paperback Writer (The Kill Zone) How the Beatles got a query letter right.

The "Why" of Character Worksheets (Edit to Rent) What to do next...

Elements for a strong first chapter (Kim Harrison) Read through the first few para to get to it.

How to Make a Boring Character Interesting (Superhero Nation) Good.

Dealing with Problems. Big Problems (Not Enough Words) Tackling revisions.

Createspace Ins and Outs (The Blood-red Pencil) Thinking of going e-pub? This is for you.

The Best Of... (Daily Writing Tips) 2011's most visited.

What's Your Writing Castle? (Face the Page) In which I confess mine...

Show Editors and Agents You Meet Their Guidelines (Scott Egan) Query = sales letter.

Dear Author, What Are You Selling? (A Life of Spice) Thoughts about author branding.

Everything Old is New Again (Nephele Tempest) Fill your story w/ what's unique in you.

How Much Does Talent Matter? (Writerly Life) Talent is overrated; dedication is not.

Writing Evocative Descriptions (Omnivoracious) For total reader immersion.

And, for giggles:

Striking a Pose (Jim Hines) Women and Fantasy covers. : )


Now go. Write!